


Motivation

by mochi2zhonglele



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, been watching too much masterchef, blushing jisung, chenle being a complete flirt, cooking au?, fluffy fluff, haechan is annoying, might be disappointing, minor markhyuck, minor nomin, nope maybe failed fluff, renjun is mentioned, sm artists, sorry - Freeform, what is this mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 00:52:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14884502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochi2zhonglele/pseuds/mochi2zhonglele
Summary: If it wasn't for Chef Zhong Chenle to be the honoured guest, Jisung would have already thrown himself out of the Masterchef building.





	Motivation

"I'm not putting my everything into this competition anymore."

He could see the worried faces of his friends when he said that. He doesn't know why they must be because to him, he doesn't deserve to be still having a place in the competition if all he were to be is among the last three, given a pressure test every single time. He's worn off. Like why exactly is he still there. 

"Jisung, I know you loved participating in the first season of Masterchef Korea but.... don't you love cooking too? You shouldn't give up just like that." One of them said. 

Jisung scoffed. "Easy for you to say, Haechan. You always belong to the top five. Meanwhile here I am, a person who passed the audition through a simple bowl of kimchi."

Haechan pouted and continued to eat his meal, feeling a hand that belonged to no one else but his boyfriend Mark, squeezing his thigh underneath the table to comfort him. True, the sun-kissed boy has the talents to cook, often pleased the judges with his creativity in his cooking. Meanwhile Jisung was at the extreme end, always belonged to the last three or five, had a number of close calls from being sent home.

"At least you are still in the competition. At least you belong to the last fifteen competitors. I was sent home at the first day." Said another, who goes by the name of Jaemin. 

"I'm tired, okay. What's worse is that everything is being broadcasted and everyone will know what terrible cook I am. I might as well not be there." The youngest said. 

"Stop thinking about it. Do your best and things will be alright. Who knows the chef would be easy on you tomorrow?" Jeno, Jaemin's boyfriend suggested. 

Jisung made a face. "It's a pressure test. Nothing is easy when it comes to a pressure test. And I'm sure I'm going to be send home tomorrow."

 

"The person going home today is...." 

Jisung was devastated by his results for the pressure test but he wasn't going to be surprised if he was going to be sent home. He looked at the judge's lips, in a way hoping for the word "Park Jisung" to be the one leaving his lips. The other twelve competitors by the balcony were quiet, waiting for the results. And as it had always been, Haechan was there. 

"..... Nakamoto Yuta. I'm so sorry. "

The nineteen year old Korean teenager wanted to kick himself. No, he wanted to kick the three judges. Just send him home already! The Japanese beside him, laughed bitterly and took his apron off, putting a sad smile as the judges tried sugar coating the reason behind his departure from the competition. Jisung and the other Thai competitor whose name goes by Ten gave Yuta a short hug before watching him leave the hall. 

"Congrats the two of you for passing the pressure test!" Chef Qian Kun exclaimed.  "Tomorrow will be another day so all of you, rest at home and come back tomorrow for a brand new competition!"

Those in the balcony cheered, going down the stairs to congratulate Jisung and Ten for their survival. The camera came close to them, taking a shot of all the remaining fourteen competitors. The three judges, Chef Qian Kun, Chef Kim Ryeowook and Chef Do Kyungsoo gave them proud smiles. 

"So tomorrow, Jaehyun, Johnny, Yeri, Haechan, Taeyong, Irene, Sehun, Koeun, Sicheng, Baekhyun, Taemin, Doyoung, Jisung and Ten, get enough rest and cook with all your heart tomorrow! Good luck!" Ryeowook said, clapping. 

The camera turned off and everyone dispersed to different directions to leave the building. Jisung could hear Haechan calling him but he paid no attention, leaving the Masterchef premises for home. He just wants out of the competition. Is that hard? 

 

"Morning chefs." Kun began. "I see everyone is excited today."

Everyone laughed, except for Jisung of course, who only gave a unamused smile.

"Today we have a special guest who will be helping with the judging for today. He's very well known in Korea now, he's probably younger than some of you and he has three restaurants open in Korea and four in China." Kyungsoo announced. 

"Does anyone have any idea of who he is?" The Chinese judge asked. 

Jisung couldn't be bothered, only listened to the voices of the others as they thought it would be Chef Zhang Yixing, Chef Huang Renjun or Chef Kim Junmyeon. 

"Hah! Wrong. Let's not keep him waiting shall we?"

One of the cameras changed it's position from facing the judges and to the door, Jisung couldn't help but turn around to see who would be passing through the the door. So far there was no one there. 

"Let's present you, Zhong Chenle!"

Jisung could feel his soul leave him for a second. The moment Chenle stepped into the place, the Korean couldn't help but stare at his features. The Chinese had blonde hair and was wearing a black outfit, his face was adorned with makeup. He watched with eyes wide as the chef made his way to the front where the judges were standing. Out of respect he bowed and shook their hands, before turning around to face the contestants.

"Hello, I'm Zhong Chenle as you all know. I'm really pleased to be helping with the judging for today. I hope everyone will have a great time here." The chef greeted, eyes turning into small crescents. 

"Like every usual day, each one of you are to pull off a dish which stands out among the rest to be one of the top three dishes to be tried by the four of us." Ryeowook explained, ignoring the passing camera. "Tell me, chef. What are you expecting?" He asked, turning to face the youngest chef. 

"I am looking forward for something extraordinary or something that will blow my mind. Something that would make me want to eat more. That is the point of the first part of the competition isn't it?" 

Chenle sounded enthusiastic   
and that had placed some pressure to the contestants as the guest are expecting a lot from them. He looked so cheery, no one wanted to disappoint him. Jisung was in his own world staring at Chenle's features until Kun pressed the bell, where the pantry is open for contestants to grab their ingredients. The Korean stared at the ingredients in the pantry. Chenle had made his mind blank. 

He's whipped of course.

'Oh my god. What am I going to cook? He wants something extraordinary. I have to be part of the top three in order to get my food tasted. I'm not going to come to the front with some boring food.' He thought.

For the first time after so long, Jisung was cracking his head. He grabbed whatever ingredients he think would be worth it, trying to get any recipe out of his head. His basket was full to the point one of the potatoes actually fell off to the ground. Everyone had left the pantry, Jisung only left a few minutes later. He settled himself on his counter, taking out every ingredient and laid it down on the marble top. 

Now what. 

"Hello, Jisung. How are you?"

Kun's voice had caught him off guard that the poor teenager jumped slightly off the ground. One more thing that had shocked him was Chenle's presence.

"I-I'm doing great. Just a little torn between choices." Jisung lied. 

The Korean swore he felt his ears turn red when Chenle shot him a smile. 

"Choices? What are you cooking?" Kun asked, looking at the ingredients Jisung had grabbed. "You have a lot of items with you. You better not be pulling out a feast because you only have an hour." He joked. 

Chenle laughed, caught Jisung off guard again as he didn't expect to have a dolphin living in Chenle's voicebox.

"I.... don't know what to do actually. I have nothing in mine." Jisung said, voice getting softer when Chenle's smile faltered. 

"Oh no. Well you need to get something on the plate by an hour- no, fifty five minutes. You better think fast, boy." Kun warned. 

Jisung scratched his head. He doesn't even know half the things he took, what would even make him know what he will be cooking. His eyes widened when Chenle leaned over the counter, taking a closer look of the ingredients. 

"You can do a lot with chicken. You took quite a lot of chilli and onions. You even took red wine. There are some siracha in there that you can make use of. Asparagus and potatoes are also useful." Chenle said, making Jisung a little flustered. "There's a lot you can do with what you have taken."

There was a hint of disappointment in Chenle's voice and that demotivated him slightly. 

" Oh." Jisung managed to say. 

"We'll come back again. Hopefully you have something up your mind by then." Kun said, squeezing the latter's shoulder before leaving for Kouen who was behind his counter. 

Jisung stared at his messy counter. Time is ticking but nothing is working. He looked back to see Chenle smiling ever so wide at Kouen's explanation of her plan for her dish. He was envious but he couldn't blame her or Chenle. He doesn't know what he's going to cook. He wants to see that smile when he explains to them. And by them, he means Zhong Chenle. After a long time thinking, an idea popped up in his mind. 

He grabbed the pan and heated it up at the highest flame he could get to the get the pan hot as fast as possible. He clasped his hand and prayed for the best that everything would go well. He poured oil on the pan before chopping his onions and chilli and throwing them into the pan. He poured half the bottle of red wine, leaving it alone to start boiling. He got another pan ready to caramelise the remaining of his onions and asparagus before he heard the same voice again. 

"Looks like something came up. What are you doing?"

Jisung looked up to see Chenle alone, looking at his pans. He felt his heart jolt when Chenle did eye contact with him, admiring how beautiful the other's eyes were with smoky eyeshadow. 

"Um....  I'm planning on chicken cooked with red wine with a hint of chili and onions, topped with caramelised asparagus and onions."

The younger beamed when Chenle looked interested, nodding his head. 

"Amazing. The others are taking on Asian dishes. You chose something else." The Chinese praised. "Can I try?" He asked, pointing at the sauce surrounding the cooking chicken. 

Jisung happily obliged, taking a free unused spoon and taking a small amount of it. He was glad to have Chenle taste a bit of his food before the actual tasting. The Chinese took the spoon before putting it in his mouth, humming at the delicacy. 

"Wow." Chenle said, putting the spoon on the counter.  "It's spicy. But not so spicy. I think you got the right consistency. Good job, Jisung."

"Thank you."

Jisung never felt so proud of his dish. 

 

"So we have decided the top 3 dishes we decided to taste." 

Kyungsoo was leading this time, looking around with Chenle beside him, excitement showing in his features. Everyone was anxious, crossing their fingers to be the top 3 among the other fourteen. Haechan was called out, as usual, leaving the judges shook with the baked rice fused with Phad Thai. The second was Kouen, flustered the four with her Mexican-styled dumplings. 

"The last dish we could like to taste, is Jisung."

The others clapped for him. Haechan who was a counter before him, clapped the loudest. The camera followed him as he walked to the front, placing his plate on the wooden table before stepping back. 

"This looks delicious. What have you cooked?" Ryeowook questioned as he grabbed a set of cutlery for himself. 

"I have cooked you chicken cooked in red wine with a hint of chili, topped with caramelised asparagus and onions." Jisung presented. 

"The chicken is glowing under the lighting." Kun joked. 

"Let's dig in, shall we?" Kyungsoo said. 

"Let's."

Jisung could feel his heart racing when they dug into his dish he put his heart and soul into. His lips curved into a smile when Chenle had a proud look on his face while eating his food. 

"I am amazed. This is an amazing dish." Ryeowook complimented. 

"You really deemed yourself, today. Good job." Kyungsoo said, clapping, making the others follow suit. 

Jisung bowed a thank you before returning back to his station, bringing his half-eaten dish along. Haechan slapped him on the back, congratulating him. Koeun also cheered for him, same goes for the others. They were still clapping for him, the camera moving around the studio to catch the reactions of the other contestants. He faced front and saw Chenle's eyes on him once again, nodding his head in approval. 

 

 

Jisung wanted to melt at his spot. He has the best meal among the top 3 and was given a huge advantage, which is to pick all five ingredients for the mystery box challenge. However that wasn't exactly the problem. Chenle will be guiding him into the pantry and that's the problem. His heart leapt when the Chinese touched his wrist ever so delicately to bring him there. He wasn't expecting any contact from the older. The camera was turned off at the moment while they pick the five ingredients and Jisung was glad, cause he was sure his ears are red by now. 

"So is this the first time you were given an advantage? You look lost." Chenle asked, lips curving into an amused smile. 

"Y-Yeah....  I have no idea on what to cook even though I have the whole pantry to myself." The Korean admitted. 

Chenle chuckled. "Don't worry. You have quite a luxury of time for yourself to pick."

Jisung grabbed the nearest basket and walked to the meat section. His mind was blank. He's back to square one. He turned his head around in shock when he felt hands on his waist, looking at Chenle with wide eyes. The Chinese was dangerously close and it looked like the other had no plans on moving away. 

"Come on, pick something." Chenle urged, placing his chin on Jisung's shoulder. 

The younger flinched slightly at the action, earning a chuckle from the other.

"Why are you always flinching whenever I  do something? Do you like me?"

The question was left unanswered as Jisung managed to get a grip of himself and take what he needs for the mystery box. The camera returned back to film them as they walked out from the pantry with a box in Jisung's hand. Everyone's eyes were on the box, but Chenle's were on Jisung. At the count of three, the ingredients were revealed and the competition began and to Jisung he felt he should ace this challenge again, to make Chenle proud. 

 

It shook everyone Jisung's dish beat Haechan's, a risk the younger had taken to use silken tofu as a substitute of cream cheese for the cheesecake he decided to make. Chenle was the first to taste, humming at the sweet savoury of the dessert. Jisung had never felt this happy before as Kun fixed the immunity pin on his apron, a pin that would save him from a pressure test if he was ever to be thrown into again or save him from elimination. 

"Congratulations, Jisung. And thank you, Yeri. You will be greatly missed." Kyungsoo ended the recording. 

Haechan threw himself onto Jisung as he congratulated the younger over and over again. 

"Are you going to stay in the competition then? You are doing so well!" The sun-kissed boy exclaimed. 

"Maybe." Jisung grinned. 

The chefs left the building, hugging the winner of the day congrats while hugging Yeri goodbye. Jisung was about the board the van until he heard Chenle calling out to him. 

"Congrats baby chick." The Chinese smirked. 

"Thanks." Jisung answered, this time his face heating up at the nickname. 

He was glad it was night time now, Chenle wouldn't be able to see his red cheeks. The older pulled him into a hug. 

"It was nice meeting you, Jisung. I hope you will do well in the following days." The professional chef said. 

Jisung doesn't know if he is seeing things or if Chenle is actually blushing after pulling away. He chuckled awkwardly and nodded, thanking him before proceeding to leave. He swore he saw a hint of sadness in the other's eyes when he was turning around. 

"I'll be watching you. Don't disappoint me!" Chenle shouted before Jisung closed the door fully. 

He knew Chenle couldn't see through the tinted glass of the van but he waved back anyways. The van drove away and Jisung was left smiling idiotically to himself as he watched the Chinese and the Masterchef building become smaller and smaller from his sight. 

"Whipped." Haechan whispered beside him. 

Haechan earned a smack that night. 

 

 

If it wasn't for Chef Zhong Chenle to be the honoured guest, Jisung would have already thrown himself out of the Masterchef building. If it wasn't for Chef Zhong Chenle to be there for him, Jisung wouldnt have been holding onto the trophy. Confetti sprinkled everywhere as he was thrown into the air, hands up high holding onto the legendary Masterchef trophy. He was all smiles, as the contestants below him and his family continued throwing him into the air.

"Congratulations, mate!" Haechan who lost by a few points, said as he threw an arm around the younger's shoulder. 

Jisung was so happy. His friends were there, his family was there, his old teachers were there and what's most important, Chenle was there. He was among the crowd, wearing sunglasses and a hat to cover himself. No one knew he was there. Except for Jisung of course. The camera stopped filming after a few minutes, the crowd calming down afterwards. 

"Hey." 

He turned around at the voice, smiling widely at the sight of Chenle behind him. Chenle was glowing under the spotlights and Jisung has to admit, he looked beautiful. Now that the camera is off, the Chinese took the glasses and hat off, revealing his makeup-less face. He swore Chenle had became 100x more attractive like that. 

"You did it." Chenle whispered. 

"I know. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here." Jisung replied back. 

Chenle blushed, making him look so much cuter. He laughed. "Cheesy." He stuck his tongue out. 

Silence struck between them as they stared into each other's eyes, until someone decided to break it. Jisung took a deep breath. 

"Can I tell you something?" He asked the older.

"Shoot."

"Promise to not overreact, okay?"

"Cross my heart."

"I like you."

Jisung's heart dropped when Chenle didn't respond, his mind decided to think otherwise. "Okay that was idiotic of me to say that. I'm sorry that you don't feel the same, I just wanted to say it cause-" He rambled on before he was shut with a pair of lips pressing gently against his. 

The Korean went cross-eyed before closing his eyes. Chenle's lips were slightly chapped at the winter cold but nevertheless they were soft. They pulled away to catch their breaths, touching their foreheads together. 

"I like you too dumbass." Chenle whispered against his lips.

Their lips connect for another kiss, this time longer than their first, only to be interrupted when they heard a camera snap.

"Caught on camera, bitch." Haechan smirked. 

Jisung's face heated up and he was 100% sure he looked like a tomato by now. Haechan wasn't alone. Beside him stood Mark, Jaemin and Jeno, mirroring the same smirks on their faces. Chenle laughed and whispered something Jisung couldn't decipher before smashing his lips against the latter's. 

"W-what? They are watching!" The Korean exclaimed, eyes wide. 

"Who cares? All I care is that I get to kiss you." Chenle said, pouting his lips. 

They could hear Haechan and his gang snickering at them but they couldn't care less, exchanging kisses over and over again. 

"Okay stop. This is getting weird. Go get a room." Mark rolled his eyes. 

"No problem. My baby chick needs some sleep after all." Chenle scoffed, ruffling the younger's bright blue hair. "Isn't it true?"

Jisung had lost count of how many times he had blushed today. 


End file.
